Gangtok: A routine military training session turned fatal on Monday when an Indian Army soldier drowned in the Teesta River in Sikkim’s Pakyong district.
The deceased has been identified as Lance Naik Rajasekhar of the 191 Artillery Regiment. He was participating in an annual rafting program when the accident happened.
As per reports, the tragedy was caused when the raft hit underwater debris. The raft struck the submerged ruins of an iron bridge, reportedly left from the 2023 flash floods, in the stretch between Bardang and Rangpo Mining. The impact made the raft capsize, and Lance Naik Rajasekhar was carried away by the river’s strong current.
A joint search operation was started immediately, involving the Indian Army and the Teesta Rescue Centre.
Later, the soldier’s body was recovered downstream at Tar Khola in Kalimpong district of West Bengal and it was sent for the post-mortem examination.